By Tara Yap
BORACAY CLEANERS —With the six-month closure of Boracay Island, several members of the Ati indigenous group have signed up for emergency employment program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) by becoming beach cleaners. (Tara Yap / MANILA BULLETIN)
Iloilo City — Workers in Boracay, Aklan, displaced by the six-month closure of the resort island, will be offered jobs as cleaners.
Some of them were seen by Manila Bulletin gathering trash on a beach. Others collected the rubble from the demolition of illegal structures.
Salome Siaton, assistant regional director of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), said at least 5,000 displaced islanders are entitled to the month-long emergency employment dubbed as “Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disavantaged/Displaced Workers” ( TUPAD).
The emergency employment program prioritizes informal settlers and members of the Ati indigenous group.
The workers are paid P323.50 per day or a total of P9,000 for the 30-day period, and will also be hired for the rebuilding of island’s the sewage and drainage systems.
“They aren’t just beach cleaners. Their work depends on what is needed in their communities,” Siaton said.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III pledged only emergency employment for 5,000 displaced islanders, but Siaton said there is also the cash-for-work program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
There are 17,328 registered workers on the island and 19,289 unregistered workers.
DOLE is spearheading the various activities marking Labor Day on Tuesday.
DOLE Western Visayas Information Officer Amy Judicpa said there are job fairs, employer’s forum, livelihood forum, and livelihood fairs are being lined up for today.